Manual snow shovels are a familiar means for removing snow from driveways and walkways. However, shoveling can become cumbersome and physically demanding when the amount of snow to be removed is large. For example, the repetitive scooping and lifting motions associated with shoveling snow can become fatiguing and time consuming. Additionally, the repetitive lifting required during shoveling can cause various injuries or ailments for the user.
Another readily familiar solution to snow removal is using a powered snow removal machine more commonly known as a “snow blower.” While snow blowers solve many of the problems associated with removing snow from large areas, several problems still remain. For example, snow blowers present an investment in purchase price, maintenance, and storage space. Additionally, many snow blowers do not work well when removing snow that has a shallow depth.
One possible alternative to manual snow shovels and snow blowers is a manual snow plowing device. These devices allow a user impart a sliding motion on a plow blade when removing snow. One advantage arises as pushing the snow alleviates the need for the repetitive lifting motion associated with shoveling. Additionally, when pushing the snow, many times the weight than can be lifted is removed. An advantage over snow blowers lies in the ability to remove snow associated with lighter snow depths without the cost and burdens associated with operating powered snow blowers.
However, manual snow plow devices available today slide across the surface on their scraping edge. This makes traditional snow plow devices difficult to use on rough surfaces such as asphalt because the scraping edge gets stuck on ridges and bumps on the surface. Furthermore, the scraping edge can become worn down when used on abrasive surfaces, which may affect the performance of traditional manual snow plows. Additionally, traditional manual snow plows are subject to damage at the corners of their scraping edge which may further affect performance.